


A Glimpse In Green

by thisislegit



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Conflict Resolution, Introspection, Jealousy, Multi, longer than a drabble but it felt like one as i was writin real Fast, mention of fujiko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22957759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisislegit/pseuds/thisislegit
Summary: Goemon flinched away from the hand that stroked his bare shoulder and peeked an eye open to see Lupin with his hands raised in surrender. For a moment, they stared at one another while Goemon tried to assess his purpose for the touch, but then Lupin gave him a wry smile and apologized in a tone he was too familiar with.
Relationships: Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III
Comments: 3
Kudos: 67





	A Glimpse In Green

**Author's Note:**

> un-beta'd, i apologize

Goemon flinched away from the hand that stroked his bare shoulder and peeked an eye open to see Lupin with his hands raised in surrender. For a moment, they stared at one another while Goemon tried to assess his purpose for the touch, but then Lupin gave him a wry smile and apologized in a tone he was too familiar with. Goemon pretended to close his eyes again, but listened for the shift of clothing that signaled Lupin walking away. He shifted further down the couch so he could watch without getting caught as Lupin and Jigen shared a brief kiss that had them smiling at each other as if they'd exchanged all the world's secrets and more in a moment. It made him feel odd. Not a curious sort of odd, but a bad one, and he didn't know what to do with a feeling he couldn't label.

Huffing, he managed to catch the attention of both of them as he made his exit from the cabin. The question of where he was going floated behind him unanswered while his sandals crunched along the snow leading towards the pond several hundred meters away.

How could those two make things look so effortlessly? He was new to it all. He knew that. He was happy to be welcomed into their circle. All three men accepted Fujiko's affection and her nonsense easily when she was around. Goemon found himself doing the same with Lupin, and Jigen was never hiding secrets to trick or betray making him the easiest to communicate regularly with, but there was something about watching Lupin and Jigen together… The weird feeling returned forcing him to stare at the frozen pond until he named it. Yellow and black fish scurried under the thin sheet of ice appearing to follow the path his gaze made for them until he realized two things. The first thing being he forgot his socks in his rush to escape, and the second thing being that he was jealous. The feeling bubbled to the surface and made him sit on the wet, cold ground to sort it out.

Why was he jealous? Zantetsuken was moved to sit across his lap so he'd have something to hold onto. He'd done things with them that would make his dead masters denounce his commitment to his craft. Lupin was not shy to touch, and Jigen was the same although more restrained while sober. Goemon lifted a hand to graze the inside of his shirt with the tips of his fingers. No, touch wasn't the issue. They touched. It was how he was touched which was different from how Jigen and Lupin touched each other. There was never a moment's hesitation between those two as they fell into a rhythm he could never hope to replicate. The things they did like the grazing of hands over arms or shoulders, lighting each other's cigarettes, hand holding, hugs, and the odd but triumphant "we did it" kiss after a successful heist. It was casual. Effortless. He knew that came from years of knowing each other, the idea he'd never feel that for himself made him clench the sheath of his sword.

Never was a strong word. He tried to refrain from using it as it made it easier to get discouraged from plausible goals, yet the more he looked at things, the more Lupin and Jigen's level of casual intimacy seemed like an impossible goal to chase after. His grip loosened around his sword sheath when he realized the jealousy stemmed from desire. He shouldn't have desires. He was supposed to be training to rid himself of desire so he could improve his skills.

Snow began to fall, and normally he could focus enough to ignore the cold, but this winter evening offered no reprieve. He gave himself another ten minutes before he'd be running inside to sit by the fireplace.

Goemon recalled trying to talk to Lupin about riding himself of desire once, but the conversation turned strange. Lupin confused desire with passion. He had the ideals so intertwined he couldn’t see one without the other which made sense for his character. Goemon didn't remember the exchange word for word since it was one of their first conversations as business partners, but there was a bit that stuck out to him he had remembered.

_ "In all those samurai movies you watch, is the good guy better when he's cleared of all emotions or when he's passionate to achieve his goal?" _

_ Goemon stared at him asking what he meant. _

_ "Usually the bad guy has no emotions, but they also follow orders and nothing else right? They're committed to their assigned duty, but they lose. As efficient as acting without emotions can be, it's not ideal when you have something to protect. You need passion to be creative. That's how you out maneuver your enemy." _

At the time, Goemon thought it was nonsense. He found himself being proven wrong the longer he stayed with those three. His masters told him dozens of times he was a tool, an extension of his sword, and in some ways that was true. His sword was his life, but it wasn't his life. It was also a tool, and an extension of him. He could fight without his sword, it could not fight without him. His sword could cut through anything, but he couldn't do that without his sword.

The wind picked up sending flurries of snowflakes into his face. Goemon struggled to accept desire, but he refused to accept jealousy. How could he fight it? An unseen enemy. If left undefeated it would grow stronger until it tore at the seams of whatever he was building. It may even lead him to isolation or worse. A lonely death.

Hm. Maybe Jigen was right about him being dramatic.

They were probably talking about him storming out when- ah. He sighed when he realized the answer to his dilemma was simple after unjumbling everything. Talking. Right. He wasn't good at talking, but with so many people romantically involved Jigen had told him it was a necessity to continue doing what they did. His jealousy told him he shouldn't have to talk, and they should be able to tell how he felt, but he trampled it down while the voice was small and stood.

He was a samurai. He was dedicated to mastering his craft, and learning to talk with his partners would have to be a new craft he would strive to learn and grow. Making his decision, he went back to the cabin. For some reason, the cold didn't hit him until he shut the door behind him and the warmth of the living room set in. His fingers and toes burned with the temperature shift and he sniffled as he pushed damp hair out of his eyes.

Jigen did a double take after looking up from his crossword. “What the hell? Lupin, help him take off his clothes."

Goemon watched as Jigen went to the other room and felt a tug against the belt of his pants.

"I wish he'd said that in a sexier tone," Lupin mumbled.

His pants landed on the floor with a wet slap and his shirt followed next. Seems as though he was outside longer than he thought. Jigen returned to wrap Goemon in a few towels and threw some heavier blankets around that while Lupin led him to the couch by the fireplace he'd been occupying since they got here. He stopped when they we're halfway there as Jigen dried his hair with a smaller towel. Goemon noted the gentle touch of Jigen’s hands on his head. He gently stroked the calluses in Lupin’s palm noting those as well. These touches though not casual, were their own form of intimacy they shared with him. This thought was enough to ground him as Lupin gave him a funny look and Jigen bumped into his back from the sudden lack of motion.

Taking a breath, Goemon said, "I'm jealous of you two."

His face grew warm as Jigen and Lupin shared a look over his shoulder. There was that silent communication again. Would he ever be able to mimic that? Would he ever have his own form of talking with them like that? The towel on his head resumed its gentle motion and Lupin tugged on his hand to lead him the rest of the way.

"Okay, let's talk about it. I've got my five star hot chocolate on the stove we can drink, " Lupin said.

Jigen whispered, "Don't listen to him. It's a three star at best."

"I heard that!".

"No you didn't. Right, Goemon?"

Goemon found himself smiling as he sat down, "I don't know what the difference would be."

"You'll be the judge then." Lupin headed for the kitchen saying, "We all know that one smokes too much to have any taste buds left."

"You're French. Your opinions on food never counted." Jigen took the free spot next to Goemon on the couch to adjust the blankets making sure he was wrapped tight.

Another intimate gesture. Perhaps noting them when they happened would help him recognize and grow used to the touch both seen and unseen. Goemon shook his head feeling less jealous and more comfortable with their familiar type of bickering as the atmosphere settled. Fujiko said they bickered like an old married couple. Maybe he'd get that at some point. Jigen wrapped an arm around his shoulders and asked him what he was thinking which flashed a momentary glimpse of fear. He hated being vulnerable, but Jigen wasn't rushing him with questions and Lupin was coming back with a tray holding three steaming cups. So after Goemon had the warm cat painted mug in his hands he opened his mouth and talked.

The hot chocolate was a 3.9, but he gave Lupin a four out of five for the foamed milk decoration.

**Author's Note:**

> i woke up at 4:55AM and my brain just went ham for 20 minutes before i realized "hey, i should probably write this all down" so here we are


End file.
